Luxury train trip from Pretoria with excursions and/or golf

You are expected at 8 am at the train station in Pretoria. You start this journey at 9 a.m. with a tour through Pretoria and Soweto, two important places in the smallest province of South Africa. The province of Gauteng is the economic heart of South Africa and the province where the major cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria are located.

Today’s tour starts in Soweto, the largest township in South Africa with more than one million inhabitants. You pass the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere: Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and drive through the only street in Africa where two Nobel Prize winners once lived: Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former president Nelson Mandela. You will also visit the Hector Pieterson Memorial in memory of this student who died in 1976 in the fight against the legislation of the Apartheid regime.

Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa. Here you will visit the Voortrekker Monument and museum. You also take a look at the Union Buildings from where the president and government work. This impressive building with a beautiful terrace garden was completed in 1913 and is a design by the British architect Sir Herbert Baker. In the garden in front of the Union buildings is a large statue of Nelson Mandela. (Day distance +/- 265 km)

At 4 p.m. you board your luxury driving hotel and leave for Nelspruit.

Golfers can choose from the Leopard’s Creek, Nelspuit or White River golf course to play on today. Tee off is at 9 a.m.

Non-golfers leave today at 9:00 am for a tour of interesting historical sites and the beautiful nature of the province of Mpumalanga. In 1873, gold was discovered near the village of Pilgim’s Rest, now it is a living open-air museum and a National Monument. The discovery attracted around 1500 gold diggers and today the old miners’ houses have been refurbished and turned into shops. On the Panorama Route you will visit the special Bourke’s Luck Potholes, strange deep cavities formed by erosion and flooding. You drive on to God’s Window where you can look out over the vast lowlands and Kruger Park in clear weather (day distance ± 280 km).

The world-famous Kruger Park offers a home to countless trees, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, including the Big Five (elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino and leopard). Not surprising of course if the area of this park has about 2 million hectares!

Today you will travel by bus through the smallest Kingdom (17,000 km²) in southern Africa: Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). From Mpaka you will drive through the Ezulwini Valley and head to the Ludzidzini Royal Residence to visit the colorful candle market. In Manzini you will become acquainted with the daily life on the Swatimarkt which is known for its woven baskets, colored textiles and wood carvings. After a visit to the capital Mbabane, lunch can be used at Matenga Lodge for your own account. Finally a quick look inside the Ngwenya glass factory where you may find a nice souvenir (day distance ± 280 km). After the border formalities at the Mpaka border post (around 6:45 PM), climb back on board the train and drive to Hluhluwe in South Africa.

For golfers, the day looks like this: at 9 a.m. you will leave for Nkonyeni Golf Estate where you will be ready for the tee off an hour later. At 6.45 pm you drive to Hluhluwe in South Africa after the border formalities in Mpaka.

Today you will start looking for the Big 5 in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park early in the morning. This park is the oldest nature reserve in Africa and has an area of no less than 96,000 hectares. The landscape consists mainly of hills and the entire Big Five can be found here. The park has become known in particular for its efforts to protect the endangered white rhino. You leave today at 6.30 a.m. and return around 6 p.m. (day distance ± 250 km).

You get on the train and leave for Empangeni.

Golfers can optionally play on the Zimbali golf course (128 km from St. Lucia). After the day’s activities you will be brought back to the train (3.30 pm), the journey continues to Durban.

Everyone returns to the station at 4 p.m. The train goes to Ladysmith tonight.

Who wants to play golf today has to get up early. Already at 7 a.m. you will leave for the Champagne Sports Resort about an hour’s drive from Ladysmith. Return to the train at 12.30 pm and lunch on board.

After breakfast you board the bus for a trip through the city of Kimberley. A visit to the Big Hole Diamond Museum is of course essential. After a lunch stop at a restaurant (for your own account), visit the William Humphreys Art Gallery and the Mc Gregor House. Day distance is approximately 160 km.

A quiet start to the day today, the train continues to Graaff Reinet. At 1 p.m. you can have lunch on board the train, after which you can take a walk through Graaff Reinet with a guide at 2 p.m. Along the way you will learn more about this fourth-oldest town in South Africa. This place was founded in 1786 and has more than 200 historic buildings. You will also find a variety of museums and galleries here.

You will depart by train to Oudtshoorn at 5 p.m.

After breakfast, non-golfers drive to Oudtshoorn to visit the wonderful Cango Caves. Be surprised by the beauty of the rooms of this cave. In the afternoon you can visit an ostrich farm, after all you are in the ‘ostrich capital of the world’! Via the beautiful Outeniqua mountain pass you drive to George where the train has arrived.

Tonight’s dinner is at George, the heart of the Garden Route. George has a beautiful location between the ocean in the south and the Outeniqua mountains in the north. You will dine at the restaurant of Fancourt Golf Estate at 6.30 p.m.

Golfers leave today at 7 a.m. to the Ernie Els Oubaai Golf Club to play a round of golf and return to the train in the afternoon.

At 8 am the other passengers are once again driving a beautiful route through the South African landscape. Knysna is best known for the Knysna Lagoon and the Knysna Heads; two sandstone rocks that form the border between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean. Certainly worth a photo when you visit this coastal town! Today you can take a boat trip on the Knysna Lagoon to the Featherbed Nature Reserve. Guests who prefer shopping can do this in Knysna. Day distance 180 km.

At 1 p.m. you return to the train for lunch and you leave for Ashton. The golfers board the train again in Voorbaai. The train stops in Buffeljag River for the night.

You travel over the breathtaking mountain passes Rooihoogte and Floorshoogte and through the Overberg villages of Villiersdorp and Botrivier to the final destination of Hermanus. A fishing village that is best known for the many whales that can be seen between July and November. Whale watching in Hermanus is an unforgettable experience.

you will arrive at Cape Town station at 10.00 am where your luggage will be safely stored. At 11.00 you will be taken on a city tour along a number of sights in the city